Warmington jolted by St Thomas’ bad roads - Announces plans to repair defective Llandewey bridge

Bumping and rocking through pothole-filled roads across sections of St Thomas, some key government officials yesterday experienced first hand the treacherous conditions under which residents of the parish are forced to travel.

The touring party, which included defacto roads and works minister Everald Warmington, and St Thomas West Member of Parliament James Robertson, journeyed from Bull Bay, through Llandewey, Bethel Gap, Nesscastle to the parish border with St Andrew at Mahogany Vale, a district near Hagley Gap. Despite driving in all-terrain vehicles, they found the roadway to be more than a challenge to maneuver.

"These roads are beyond what I thought," Warmington said. "What I have seen, as it relates to the road structure in this constituency, is [that] we need a whole lot of funds to address the situation. I don't believe that our regular budgetary allocation will be able to address most of what I have seen," he said.

The minister announced that the Cod Pen bridge in Llandewey will be repaired soon. Warmington said that the Government will have to "look at a couple of bridges and breakaway" to make life easier for commuters in St Thomas western.

"We have looked at the Easington bridge, and we are going to ask the ministry to expeditiously scope and price it. The Llandewey bridge, that one that is collapsing, we have contract at the moment for $51 million and that will be started shortly," the minister said.

Several gaping holes are in the floor of the Cod Pen bridge. The National Works Agency, in 2018, said an inspection of the bridge found a section of the concrete deck to be defective.

Many residents with whom THE STAR spoke were not prepared to get their hopes up. Evans Johnson, a Llandewey resident, lamented that people risk getting seriously injured if they step into the holes.

"Mi not even wah talk about the bridge because nuh bridge nuh deh here suh. Bare potholes in deh," Johnson lamented.

"Make sure yuh nah just come here with mouth talk and then tomorrow nothing [happens] because a bare a dat a gwan," he said.

The touring party spent little time interacting with residents as they journeyed along the roadways, which in many areas resemble riverbeds. However, at each stop residents made clear their demand for better roads. In River Head, for example, one resident said taxi operators have shied away from the area because of the deplorable road conditions.

"Nuh taxi nah come dem side here so if a pregnant woman ever take in to have baby, she better have up her 10 grand," Paul, a resident, said.

Similar sentiments were echoed by Yvonne Williams who said she and others are disheartened by the bad treatment given to them by the Government. She said she strongly believes that their roads should be in better conditions as her community makes a significant contribution to national development.

"The National Water Commission (NWC) has two catchments here -- one in Yallahs River and one in Negro River -- but a lot of times we don't have water. NWC should give back something in exchange for what they are taking from us. They should spend back a dollar on us," Williams reasoned.